


From This Day Onward

by kiki_chu



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Impermanent but Reoccurring Character Death, M/M, On Screen Character Death, Third Years as First Years, Time Loop, breakdown - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-04 07:42:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14588274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiki_chu/pseuds/kiki_chu
Summary: Daichi has lived his first day of high school several times already, and he doesn't know why.





	From This Day Onward

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks as always to [Sleigh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sleigh) for betaing.

 

5th

 

The first thing Daichi does when he wakes up is snatch his phone from the bedside table to check the date. It’s April third, again. He allows his phone to drop, and he slumps back into his bed.

 

This is his fifth April third.

 

“Daichi, are you awake?” A knock on his bedroom door. “You’ll be late for the entrance ceremony if you don’t come down for breakfast soon.”

 

“I’ll be down in a minute,” he says, peeling himself off his bed.

 

He puts on his uniform for the fifth first time; it’s fresh and crisp and slightly too big so he can grow into it. One of his sock is missing again, but he found it in the third loop so he makes it to the table before his mother finishes bringing out breakfast. His younger brother and sister are already at the table, almost face planting into their empty plates.

 

“How do you feel about finally being a high school student?” His mother asks after they are halfway through their meal. “Anxious?”

 

“Not really.”

 

“Oh? What changed? You were all nerves and excitement just a couple days ago.”

 

Daichi shrugs. He doesn’t know if he’ll actually be able to experience high school. For all he knows, he’ll be stuck wearing a too big uniform and living through the entrance ceremony over and over forever with the only variety being what little he could influence himself.

 

“Too cool for nerves now that you’re a high schooler?” His mother teases.

 

Daichi stuff the last bit of rice into his mouth, stacks his empty dishes, and takes the stack over to the sink.

 

“I’m going before I end up late.” He dashes out the door before his mom can corner him.

 

His high school is close by, it’s one of the reasons he chose Karasuno. The other reason is because he saw the one time their volleyball team made it to Nationals and he was determined to get the team there again. Now he didn’t even know if he would be able to join the team.

 

Daichi takes the “delightfully” short walk to school (as his mother calls it) at a trudge, listening to the scraping sound that his brand new tennis shoes make as they drag against the pavement. 

 

His shoe catches on a crack unexpectedly, and the next thing Daichi knows he’s sprawled halfway on the sidewalk and halfway in the street.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

He looks up and a grey haired boy is standing in front of him with an out-held hand. The boy is wearing the same uniform as Daichi and it looks just as new as his, though his little corsage was in better shape than Daichi’s. Daichi takes the hand, and allows himself to be pulled up.

 

“I’m okay. Thanks for the help. I’m Sawamura Daichi, by the way.”

 

They’re about the same height. The other guy might be slightly taller, but he is also weedy as though he has just finished a growth spurt. Daichi know he has more growing to do so who knows how things would turn out in a year or two.

 

“Sugawara Koushi, but call me Suga, please.” Suga takes out a handkerchief. “Here, I think your palm is bleeding.”

 

Daichi is surprised to see that his right hand was, in fact, bleeding; he was too occupied staring at the beauty mark beneath Suga’s left eye. Suga is… pretty.

 

Suga takes out a sports water bottle and squirts water on Daichi’s scrapped palm before tying his handkerchief over it. Daichi takes the opportunity to untie his tongue.

 

“Thanks. I’ll wash it and return it to you.”

 

“There’s no rush. My mom always buys a bunch of them. She must think that I’m trying to loose them.” Suga smiles and it makes Daichi feel… warm. “Anyways, we’re both first years at Karasuno, right? We’ll probably see each other all the time.”

 

They head to the entrance ceremony together and get to know each other along the way. They find out that they’re in the same class and that they both chose Karasuno out of admiration for the Little Giant, and had aspirations to take the volleyball team to nationals again. 

 

“You receive, Daichi-san, I’ll set, we just need someone who can hit and we’ve got the core of a team. An unbeatable trio to take it all the way to Nationals.” Suga says.

 

To Daichi it sounded like a promise.

 

Since seating in the gym is assigned, Daichi and Suga part with a promise to meet up later. Daichi ends up in the row ahead of Suga, but when he looks back he happens to catch Suga’s looking at him, and they exchange the smallest of waves. It keeps him from falling asleep during the various speeches.

 

After the ceremony he loses Suga somewhere in the hustle to leave the gymnasium, but Daichi’s confident that they’ll meet up before long. A teacher spots his handkerchief bound hand and send him to get it bandaged in the health office.

 

The nurse is sterilizing his scrapes when one of the people who had been on stage with the principal not even a half hour earlier burst into the room. The school official is visibly panicking, her eyes dart around the room before landing on the nurse.

 

“You need to come quick, there’s been an accident in the gym.”

 

The nurse was already moving. He handed Daichi some bandages and tells him to return to class before taking off with the official. Daichi takes his time wrapping his hand and by the time he leaves the nurse’s office the halls are already full of students who had been dismissed due to what Daichi now knew to be an accident in the gym.

 

Daichi follows the crowd out, thinking that it was a shame that he hadn’t reconnected with Suga, but figuring he would just try again.

 

.

 

6th

 

This time around Daichi doesn’t manage to meet Suga on the way to school. During the Vice Principal’s speech Daichi looks to the row behind him and there Suga is, concentrating on the stage. Daichi stares for a while, and when Suga’s eyes wander for a moment their eyes meet. Daichi manages to give a smile before quickly looking away. He wonders if Suga thinks he’s been creepily staring at him this whole time.

 

After the opening ceremony, Daichi heads to the classroom and waits for Suga to show up, figuring that now would be better time to introduce himself than later; he could explain his earlier staring as having seen him on the way to school - it was sort of true. He begins getting his excuses ready to go for the moment Suga walks through the classroom doors.

 

Except Suga never comes.

 

Daichi is watching the door while his new homeroom teacher is going over alterations in the student handbook. He doesn’t remember a student arriving late before, but he didn’t know Suga before so he might’ve not been paying attention. But when the door opens the person summoning the teacher out is another adult. Daichi watches the furious conversation absently through the still open door.

 

When the teacher returns, her face is pale, and her voice shakes. She’s clearly trying to hold herself together when she says, “We are releasing students to return home. Please gather your belongings and leave immediately, as the campus will be closed until tomorrow.”

 

Expecting the dismissal, Daichi’s belongings are already packed up, and he’s the first out the door. As he’s leaving, Daichi takes one last look at the other students in the room, and he wonders where Suga went.

 

.

 

7th

 

Daichi leaves his house early and waits near where Suga had helped him off the floor. Not too long after he sees the other boy across the street. He spent most of his last loop thinking of how to meet Suga without tripping again, and has decided to go with the simplest solution. Daichi walks behind Suga for a little while before tossing the volleyball he brought so it rolls in front of Suga.

 

Suga acts on instinct and stops the ball before it can bounce into the street. Daichi runs up to him and takes the ball back with a plethora of thank yous. They introduce themselves and start talking about volleyball. It’s all goes according to plan and this time when Daichi looks back at Suga during the entrance ceremony, they exchange smiles.

 

This time, Daichi is quick to catch Suga after they’re dismissed to find their homerooms.

 

“I’ll meet you in the classroom in a minute,” Suga says. “I have to meet a senpai from middle school in the gym real quick.”

 

Daichi can’t think of an excuse to follow along so he agrees. It’s not until Suga fails to make it to class again and they’re being hastily dismissed that he realizes that they’re being released because of an accident in the gym, where Suga had gone.

 

“Oh shit,” he says to himself.

 

.

 

8th

 

He decides that he’s going to save Suga from whatever accident that might be befalling him (over and over, he tries not to think). He replays their introduction from last time, and he even lets Suga excuse himself to meet his senpai after the assembly. 

 

“Stay safe,” he tells the grey haired boy, who nods with a laugh because he doesn’t know how serious Daichi is.

 

This time, he follows Suga, trying not to be seen so as not to be labeled a stalker. When Suga enters one of the smaller gyms, Daichi waits outside. He’s counting the seconds and listening carefully, on high alert and ready to forestall whatever disaster that was about to occur.

 

He’s reaching for the gym door when he hears a loud crash shortly followed by a couple of shouts and screams. Daichi slams the door open and looks in. A few people are gathered around a prone body. There are black metal bars across the floor and above it all, the railing from the second floor balcony is gone.

 

Daichi takes a step into the gym but is pushed out by someone shouting that they’re getting help.

 

“I don’t think he’s breathing.” Someone else shouts.

 

Daichi doesn’t try to enter the gym anymore, just turns and leans against the outside of the building. His hands are shaking. He holds them together tightly, but his whole body is trembling. He crouches. Presses his face into his legs. Wraps his arms around his knees, and just tries to hold on. 

 

The nurse comes rushing over to the gym, and if things had happened differently he would be wrapping up his hands in the medical office or not paying attention to his homeroom class, blissfully ignorant of what had just happened. But this time he’s here, just outside the gym, and he  _ knows _ .

 

That prone body had grey hair. It wasn’t just an accident, Suga was dead.

 

.

 

9th

 

“Daichi! You’re late!”

 

This time he has no time to meet Suga before the entrance ceremony. He actually misses the entrance ceremony entirely. His mom doesn’t let him out of the house until he puts his uniform on properly, and Daichi can’t just blurt out he needs to leave before Suga dies again.

 

He scrambles straight from his house to the gym. He enters more loudly than he should and frantically looks around. Suga is alive. Daichi lets out a breath. But he’s up on the second floor balcony talking with another student.

 

“Suga!” He shouts. “Get down from there!”

 

Suga turns when Daichi shouts his name. Daichi sees what happens next like it happens in slow motion. Suga puts his hand on the second floor railing and leans forwards to see what who is calling him. The metal shudders and then gives way. Then Suga’s falling. Daichi can read the surprise on his face. Then Suga hits the gym floor, there’s a sickening noise that makes Daichi gag. More metal falls, but it’s already over. 

 

There is no light in Suga’s eyes any more.

 

.

 

10th

 

He wakes up on April third again. After confirming the date, Daichi lets his phone fall, and puts his face into his pillow, allowing the cotton pillow case to absorb his tears.

 

He cries himself out and then puts on his uniform. Because he still wants to save Suga. There’s nothing to be done about his reddened eyes, and he skips breakfast by telling his mom that he want to get to school early before she can ask him about anything.

 

He able to find Suga easily enough at this point, but he’s forgotten his volleyball. Incapable of scheming up anything, Daichi just walks straight over to him.

 

“You’re Sugawara, right? I think I’ve seen you around. Volleyball?”

 

Suga looks surprised to be called out, “yeah. I’m sorry, who are you?”

 

“Sawamura Daichi.”

 

“Daichi-san? So I guess we’ll be teammates now seeing as we’re both wearing the Karasuno uniform.”

 

Thankful for Suga’s personable nature, Daichi allows Suga to lead the conversation. Suga doesn’t mention Daichi’s red eyes. They seperate for the entrance ceremony, and as soon as it’s over, Daichi is back by Suga’s side.

 

He’s been trying to think of a way to keep Suga from going to the gym and dying, but he doesn’t know what he, someone Suga just met an hour or so ago, can do. He racks his brain for some sort of solution, but all he can see is Suga’s blank eyes staring at him. He just doesn’t know  _ what to do _ , he’s just sixteen. How is he supposed to stop this beautiful boy from  _ dying _ .

 

So he just says, “Suga, please,  _ please _ don’t go to the gym.”

 

Suga looks at him, and Daichi’s hands are shaking, but he fists them and stares back.

 

“Daichi-san, is something wrong?”

 

What can he stay to get Suga to stay with him? Daichi just shakes his head.

 

“I can’t- I’m not-.” Tears he thought he already spent begai welling in his eyes.

 

An arm wraps around his shoulder, and Daichi begins to feel a little more steady, although not completely comforted. His mind slows just a little, and he realises that Suga gave him the perfect out.

 

“I’m sorry, I need to go to the medical office. Can you take me?”

 

“I have you, you depend on me.”

 

They wait until most of the other students leave before making their way through the halls. As they walk Daichi puts more weight on Suga in order to further slow their pace. All he has to do is stall Suga until class starts, then there’s no way he can make it to the gym and hopefully Daichi can report the rail sometime later too.

 

His plan works because when they reach the medical office the nurse dismisses Suga to class and helps Daichi lay down. He’s tired, from his brains sprinting for solutions and from crying so he finds himself dozing between the thin mattress and even thinner sheet. He stirs once when an announcement rings out from the overhead informing students that a certain gymnasium is banned from use due to safety issues.

 

The next time he comes to, Suga is sitting at his bedside. 

 

“You’re here.” He’s a little in awe.

 

Daichi struggles to sit up and Suga moves quickly to help.

 

“Are you feeling better?” Suga asks.

 

“A lot.” And he does, it feels like a crushing weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

 

Daichi gets out of bed, uniform creased and crumpled. They give their thanks to the nurse and leave. Because of the entrance ceremony there was only a half-day of classes and Daichi had slept through them all. Suga hands him some papers from their shared classes. Daichi thumbs through them and notices that a club registration form has also been slipped inside. The two of them leave campus together, Suga catching Daichi up on everything he missed..

 

Just before they part, Suga says, “Sometime you’ll have to tell me how you knew.”

 

“Knew what?”

 

“That I was going to the gym, and that the railing was rusted through.” Suga nudges Daichi with his shoulder. “Anyways, I’ll see you tomorrow, Daichi.”

 

“See you tomorrow,” Daichi repeats, even though he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to.

 

.

 

1st

 

Daichi checks the date on his phone, first thing, and an ecstatic shout leaves him.

 

April fourth!

 

He runs down the stairs.

 

“Daichi, don’t run in the house,” His mother tells him.

 

He hugs her. Her hands flutter in the air for a moment before patting his back.

 

“Geeze, what’s gotten into you? And how did you make such a mess of your uniform in a single day?”

 

His siblings are unenergetic again and Daichi ruffles both of their hair thoroughly, earning loud shouts of “Hey!”, before hugging the tops of their heads, and sitting down to eat. It’s a very lively breakfast, and Daichi enjoys it thoroughly before having to go.

 

Suga is waiting for him near where they met yesterday (over and over), he smiles when Daichi jogs up to him. Daichi sort of feels like hugging him too.

 

“Morning, Suga!”

 

“Good morning, Daichi-san.”

 

They walk to school together as if it is something they’ve always done, and Daichi is nearly giddy realizing that they can continue doing so from now on.

 

“Want to turn in our application forms for volleyball after school?” Suga asks.

 

Daichi didn’t fill out his form because he didn’t think that he was actually going to make it to today, but he’s sure he’ll be able to at some point today. He made it out of the loop, he feels like he can do anything.

 

He grins. “Suga, let’s take this team all the way to Nationals!”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if I've caused any tears, but thank you for reading until the end ❤


End file.
